'Barfi!' producer gets Murphy Radio's notice

British radio manufacturers Murphy Radio have sent a legal notice to the makers of Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Barfi!" for using their trademark Murphy baby in the title track of the film. However, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur admits there is no infringement and they will respond the notice.

"It is true that we have received a notice for them (Murphy Radio). We are quite clear that we have done nothing wrong. There is no infringement on our part at all," Kapur, managing director Disney UTV, told IANS during a press conference here.

"The brand has been presented in a very positive light and we will be responding to the notice," he added.

Murphy Radio has sent a legal notice to the producers of the film, claiming that the makers of "Barfi!" have used their trademark Murphy baby (Murphy Munna in the film's song) without acquiring a no objection certificate from them. They seek to obtain a stay order on the release of the film.

Kapur was in Gurgaon along with "Barfi!" starcast Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz to promote their film, which releases this Friday. Also accompanying them were director Anurag Basu and music composer Pritam Chakraborty.

the Murphy radio was an iconic part of growing up pre 80s. Like amul the murphy baby is part of the pop culture here. This is great PR for this dying international brand and may be they will get a few quid as well. They need it, we didn't know they existed anymore!

The fact that the Director admits having used the "brand in a positive light" in itself is an admission of infringement. Using the brand's name in a positive or negative way is irrelevant here however, the act of using the baby and the brand in the film contravene the act. This is why productions companies employ legal teams nowadays because copyright issues are on the rise in show business. This is not just in India but in show business across the globe. I am surprised that they used the brand without a no objection certificate; this incident highlights the production's house unprofessionalism.